


cuddle buddies

by wonderwheelzier



Category: IT - Stephen King, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Richie Tozier is a Good Boyfriend, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 16:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20439116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderwheelzier/pseuds/wonderwheelzier
Summary: mike's embarrassed about sleeping with a stuffed animal, so richie makes sure he knows he has nothing to be embarrassed about





	cuddle buddies

**Author's Note:**

> for the wheelzier request i got on my tumblr (@wonderwheelzier hmu lol)

Richie loved pretty much everything about Mike Wheeler, but one thing he particularly appreciated right now was the fact that Mike was the heaviest sleeper he’d ever met. He loved it because it made surprising him that much easier. Richie had gotten home from his business trip a day earlier than planned, his flight coming in at a little before midnight. He swung by Mike’s favorite late night food joint on the way home and was looking forward to waking his boyfriend up with the smell of fried ravioli and a cookies and cream milkshake. 

He only sort of tried to be quiet as he came in, but he knew it would be enough, that Mike would stay asleep. And sure enough, Richie was able to take off his shoes and set his bags down and lock the front door of their apartment and still found Mike sound asleep once he got to the bedroom. However, as he got closer, he found something new: there was something soft and pink tucked under Mike’s chin. On closer inspection, Richie realized it was a plush pig. Richie’s heart flooded with adoration at the sight.  _ That’s the cutest fucking thing _ , he thought to himself,  _ I mean that’s just not fair.  _ He set the food and drinks down on their dresser and pulled out his phone, crouching down to get a good angle. However, as he took the picture, the flash unexpectedly went off, waking Mike. “Hey, sleeping beauty,” Richie greeted with a kiss to Mike’s now furrowed brow. 

“Richie?” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep and adorably disgruntled. “What time is it?”

“About one, I caught an early flight.” He caressed Mike’s face and smiled softly at the way Mike naturally nuzzled into it. “Can I turn on the lamp, baby?” Mike nodded, his eyes scrunching shut as Richie let the soft, warm light illuminate them.

“Why’d you take a picture of me?” Mike asked, rubbing his eyes open.

“Because you’re the absolute cutest thing in the world, obviously! Although I’ve gotta say, it makes me a little jealous to see you cuddled up to someone that isn’t me.” He lightly tugged at one of the ears of the pig Mike was still clutching. 

Mike seemed to just then realize what was in his arms. He buried his face in his pillow and let out a muffled, “Fuck off.”

Richie chuckled and carded his fingers through Mike’s hair. “Aw, I’m sorry for waking you up, grumpy puss. Will you forgive me if I feed you some fried ravioli?” Mike peeked up from his pillow. Richie could tell that was a yes, so he beamed and kissed the top of Mike’s head before jumping up to get the food. Mike stretched a bit as he sat up. Richie held the bag and the shake out to him, but he just wrapped his arms around Richie’s waist, rested his head against his chest.

“I missed you,” Mike said softly into Richie’s shirt.

“I missed you so much, angel.” Richie set the shake down on the nightstand and the bag on the bed so he could stroke Mike’s hair. It was soft and sleep tousled. “You make me such a softie, you know that? Completely ruining my bad boy rep.”

Mike kissed his stomach and grinned up at him, his eyes soft and sleepy. “Yes, because your neon wardrobe really screams ‘trouble,’” he teased. 

“Aw, you love it,” Richie winked. He shimmied out of his jeans and fell into bed next to Mike, pulling him into him for a proper kiss. He hummed contentedly, tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in flowing out of his body as Mike’s soft lips pressed against his own. “And I love you, so much.”

“I love you, too.” Mike grinned and rested his head on Richie’s shoulder. 

As Mike rummaged around for his food, Richie reached beyond him and picked up the stuffed animal, settling it in his lap. “So, you gonna introduce me to your little bedfellow?”

Mike bristled. “It doesn’t have a name.”

Richie gasped in mock horror. “You’re  _ sleeping  _ with him and you don’t even know his  _ name? _ ” 

That made Mike smile a bit, but he still buried his face in Richie’s shoulder, hiding his pink cheeks. “Stop being an asshole,” he muttered, stuffing a ravioli in his mouth. “I know it’s stupid, but… I don’t know, I missed you. And it helps, makes me a little less sad.”

“Hey,” Richie said softly, serious now. He shifted, gently lifted Mike’s chin so he met his eyes. “I don’t think it’s dumb. I think it’s precious.” He pressed a meaningful kiss to Mike’s lips. “And I missed you, too. God, all I could think about all week was getting to hold you again.” He regarded the toy pig again. “Honestly, you’re smart. I could’ve used one of these in that bland ass hotel room. A whole queen all to myself, and no cute cuddle buddy to share it with.” Mike rolled his eyes as Richie kissed the top of the pig’s head, but he was grinning. Richie wanted to get that grin to a giggle, so he turned to face the pig. “Say, Mr. Pig, did you keep my baby nice and warm and safe for me?” He donned a new Voice, some horrible cross between Miss Piggy and Porky Pig, and mimicked a response: “Oh, yes, Mr. Richie, I kept Mikey nice and comfortable, very happy!” He threw a wink at Mike, who shoved him over and grabbed his milkshake. 

“God, that’s so weird, don’t do that,” he giggled as he sipped his shake. When Richie started up with the voice and the lewd jokes again, Mike took the plush from his hands and tossed it toward the closet. “I’m gonna have to throw him away if you keep doing that creepy voice.” 

Richie chuckled and draped himself over Mike’s lap. “I’ll pay for a new one if it comes to that.” He grinned up at Mike, but he was looking away, and there was a subtle redness in his cheeks. Richie reached up to poke his cheek, but Mike shrugged him off, his eyes distant and clouded. Now genuinely concerned, Richie sat up. “Mikey?” he said softly, trying to catch his gaze. Mike’s eyes dropped to his lap, and he shifted, embarrassed to have been caught - which Richie thought was cute, given that Mike was notoriously awful at hiding his feelings. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Richie moved his hand over Mike’s, and Mike let him rub soothing circles into his skin. Mike gave a nearly imperceptible shrug, not ready to talk yet. Richie learned quickly when they had started dating that Mike took a bit of time to find the words to express himself when he got upset. So he helped him find them. “Is this about the plushie?” he asked. Mike hesitated before giving a small, quick nod. His chin tucked further into his chest. “Did you not want me to see that?”

Mike sighed and shook his head a bit. “I know I shouldn’t hide things from you, and it’s not that I didn’t want you to find out or anything… I don’t know. I guess I’m just embarrassed. It feels dumb to be an adult and need a stuffed animal.”

“Would you think I was dumb if I needed a stuffed animal?” Richie gasped.

“Depends what animal,” Mike said with a playful smirk. 

“Noted.” 

Mike sighed and fell back against the headboard. He was playing with Richie’s fingers now. “No, I guess I wouldn’t think it was dumb if you did it. Or, like, anyone else really. But it feels dumb when it’s me.” 

“Nothing’s dumb when it’s you,” Richie grinned as he kissed Mike’s cheek. “You’ve never done anything embarrassing in your entire life.”

Mike rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he was smiling.

Richie cradled Mike’s face in his hands, relieved when he met his gaze. “I’m sorry if I was kind of a dick about it. I really do think it’s cute and smart.” Richie kissed his nose. “Just like this cutie right here.”

Mike kissed him and smiled softly. “Feed me my ravioli and we’ll be even.”

\------

A few days had passed since the pig incident, and Richie hadn’t seen Mike with it once. Knowing words weren’t always the way with Mike, Richie took an afternoon to see what he could find at the mall. It only took about an hour to feel satisfied with what he had found.

He got home before Mike and made his way into the bedroom. Carefully, he lined the newly bought stuffed animals along the bed against the headboard. He had a seal, a dolphin, a shark, a lamb, a giraffe, an alligator, a dragon, and even a manatee. In the middle, he placed Mike’s pig, which he found in the closet. Just as he was admiring his work, he heard the front door open. “Richie?” he heard Mike call.

“In the bedroom, honey!” he called back, his voice shining as he jumped back onto the bed. He was just finishing getting settled in a pose when Mike walked in, taking in the scene in front of him. He gave Richie a longsuffering look.

“Are you serious?” Mike asked, a reluctant smile dancing around the corner of his lips.

Richie grinned, proud of himself, and shrugged. “Thought you might want some variety. Plus, I wanted some for myself.”

“Oh yeah?” Mike asked, smiling as he fell into Richie’s outstretched arms. “Which ones are yours?”

Richie pressed a lasting kiss to Mike’s lips. “Well I definitely want the manatee.” Mike giggled and kissed Richie again before burying his face in Richie’s shoulder. Richie held him close, pressing kisses to his hair. “And the dragon’s yours because you’re a nerd.”

“Don’t pretend dragons aren’t cool,” he grinned into Richie’s skin, peeking up at him a bit.

“You’re right. They’re super cool and badass, and he can protect my precious prince for me when I’m gone.” That earned him a light smack on the chest, and Mike hid his face again. Richie felt Mike hold him tighter. “You know, I did some research, and it’s actually good for you to have stuffed animals, even as an adult. It helps with loneliness and all that. There are a ton of papers and articles on it, super scientific shit.”

Mike slowly sat up. “You did research?”

Richie smirked at the familiar look in his boyfriend’s eyes; of course research would turn Mike on.  _ Fuckin’ nerd _ , Richie thought fondly. “Oh yeah, baby. I researched  _ hard _ .” Mike beamed and grabbed Richie’s face, kissing him heatedly. They were both smiling into it, and Richie happily wrapped his arms around Mike’s waist, pulling him in, holding him tight. Mike straddled Richie’s hips, pressing himself closer to him. “Woah, okay,” Richie chuckled when Mike rolled his hips, “not in front of the children.” Mike smiled fondly down at him as he nodded toward the stuffed animals. Richie leaned into his touch as Mike began running his fingers gently through Richie’s hair.

“I can’t believe you bought me a fucking zoo,” Mike said, running his fingers over the soft material of the dolphin.

“Aw, you love when I spoil you.” Richie pressed a trail of soft kisses over Mike’s jaw and neck, making him sigh in his lap. Richie loved this, loved how soft his skin felt under his lips, loved the way he could feel Mike relax in his arms. He began absently fiddling with the collar of Richie’s shirt.

“Yeah,” he agreed softly. “This is… I mean, I don’t know, I’m still kind of embarassed honestly, but this… it helps. It makes it feel a little less stupid. So, thanks.” Richie pulled back to give him a soft smile. Mike’s eyes darted a bit before he met Richie’s gaze and told him, in that soft voice that always made Richie melt, “I really appreciate it.” The sincerity in his voice would never stop taking Richie’s breath away. He leaned his forehead against Mike’s and nuzzled his nose against Mike’s.

“Anything for you,” he grinned with a peck to Mike’s lips.

“Anything?” Mike asked, mischief laced through his voice.

“You got something in mind?”

“Yeah, actually, I’m also gonna need you to say ‘I did some research’ again, but slower this time.”

Richie chuckled and flipped them over so that he could attack Mike’s cheeks with kisses.


End file.
